Self-propelled torpedo.



JGNES.

SELF PEOPELLBB T GRPEDO.

APPLEATION FILED NOV. l, 1907.

v PatSnd Apr. 6, 1909.

mmm

ALBERT EDWARD JONES, or FIUME, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, AssrcNon ro WHITEHEAD a' COMPANY', 0F FIUME, `AUSlRl'A-HUNGARY,

A CORPORATION.

SELF-Paornrrnn ronrnno.

Specication of Letters Patent.

y Patented Aprile, ieee.

Application led November l, 1907. Serial No. l1.= M),198.

4To all whom 'it may concern: l

-Be it known that l, ALBERT EDWARD JONES, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Fiume, Austria-Hungary,

engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n and Relating to expulsion of the leakage waterfby utilizing In the accompanying drawing Figure l l'from the harmful' action the sinking valve itself, and also the protection of the g'yroscope and its accessory parts of the said leakage' Water.

represents a longitudinal section through the rear portion of a torpedo. A Fig. v-2'is a detail v2o View of the sinking valve. l

The arrangement adopted in self-propelled torpedoes, and which consists in locating the gyroscope below the longitudinal axis of the torpedo and the sinking valve at the upper part, presents the defect of enabling the water to leak 'through the sinking valve, to

fall upon the gyroscope, and by collecting in the buoyancyv chamber to impede the oper:V

ation of the gyroscope.A The present invention obviates these defects, and consists, instead of placing the sinking valve in direct communication with the .external water by the Wall'of the torpedo, in arranging it internally, land as close as possible to the bottom of the buoyancy chamber, upon 4the dis' charge path for the air exhausted from the servo-motor -of the gyroscipe and Vat the place at vwhich leakage water might collect.

` Further, the gyroscope is located above the longitudinal axis ofthe torpedo, preferably 4 at the upper part ofthe buoyancy chamber,

in order to p ace it out of reach of leakage Water.

The gyroscope which is designated as a 'Whole'by a is suspended from the roof of the buoyancy chamber b.

The box c of the sinking valve is connected by a tubular socket d with the exhaust chamber e of the engine, from which the hollow -shaft f proceeds; the compressed air after performing its work escapes through A this shaft to the exterior.

The box c is continued downward by a short socket g to Within close proximity with the bottom of.

valve the' surefin this chamber becomes greater.; than S that of the air contained inthe chamber e,

the valve hv rises, the air-within jthebuoy- 4 ancy chamber being discharged through the chamber e and thehollowshaftf .'lhisdischarge of air prevents the olitr'vwater-.irom

the leakage watercollects in the buoyancy chamber,v it is carriedby the current of-exhaust air through the short socket gentering the Water .and the open sinking, valve k.

'YVhen the engines stop, thepressure soliair the buoyancy chamber and in the exhaust' chamber c fall, sthaFtl-iesinking valve 7L is able to close. For torpedo practice,y Ithe valve is allowed to close; the ywater only fills the hollow shaft f and the chamber e, and the torpedo rises to thesurface. For actual launching, when the torpedo is to sink at the end of its travel if it has missed its niark the arrangement represented in Fig. 2 may be adopted for' preventing the sinking valve from returning to its seat and enabling the external water to lill the buoyancy chamber. To this end, the socket g presents a chamber -or recess c containing -a pawl m ending inra heel n on which a spring sleeve o acts in such a manner that the pavvl may be held in the position, shown in full lines (for practice launching), or in the positions shown in dotted lines (for actual launching). ln the latter case the pawl is held in an intermediate position with its end resting against the valve, until the valve rises from its seat, when it moves tothe extreme inward position beneath the valve to hold the said valve raised. it will be understood that when the paWl is cocked in the direction indicated by the arrow F', as soon as the sinking valve li has risen, the pawl becomes depressed into the position m shownv in broken lines, and prevents the valve from falling back on to its seat.

'entering through the hollow shaft f andl;

roo

The advantages are as followsz-The arrangement of the gyroscope above the lon gitudinal axis of the'torpedo places 1t out of reach of leakage water. not beingin direct communication with the The sinking valve outer water, the likelihood of the leak-.ge of Wateris lessened, and any Water which may leak in is automatically expelled by the means described.

It is obvious that a sinking valve oi' any construction adapted to requirements may be employed, and that the means used for keeping this valve away from its seat might le replaced by any other equivalent locking evice.

Having new particularly described and as-v certained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that vwhat l claim is z# l. In a self-propelled torpedo,l the eo1n bination of a gyroscope placed above the longitudinal axis of the torpedo, a buoyancy chamber into which the servo-motor of the gyioscope discharges, a sinking valve placed in the buoyancy chamber, said valve having a box connected with the exhaust chainber of the engine and a socket opening in close proximity to the bottom of the buoy" ancy chamber.

f) bination of a gyroscope placed 'above the longitudinal axis of the torpedo and having a servo-motor Which discharges into the buoyancy chamber, an exhaust. chamber for the engine continued rearward by a hollow shaft, a sinking valve placed in the buoyancy chamber and provided with a box connected In a self-propelledl torpedo, the com! erwies with. the exhaust chamber, a spring for holding said valve on its seat, and a tubular.

socket connected to the valve box and openingI in. close proximity te the bottom of the buoyancy chamber.

ln a seltpropelled torpedo, the' coinbination of a gyroscope placed above the longitudinal axis, a sinking valve having a casing opening close to the bottom of the buoyancy chainbenand means for prevent ing the vali/*affronti falling back on to its seat for exercise shots. y

4. In a self-propelled torpedo, the coinbination of a gyroscope placedabove the longitudinal axis out ci' reach of the leakage water, a sinking valve having a casing opening close te' the bottom of the buoyancy chamber in the path for the discharge of the air frein the servo-motor of the gyroscope, a pawl arranged in a recess of said casing, and a spring adapted to hold the pawl under the valve, when the valve is raised sufficiently, thus preventing the sinking valve from returning tojits seat.

in testimony whereof l have hereunto placed my hand and seal at Birmingham England this ninth day of fctober 1907.

ALBERT EllWlll JONES'.

ln the presence of two Witnesses:

. .ehr-@HUE TWnrGnT, Junior, HOWARD JoNns AsnLY. 

